LOS ANGELES, California — Jenna Fischer, who played Pam Beesly on the hit TV show “The Office,” revealed Tuesday she is recovering after battling an “aggressive” form of breast cancer.
Fischer, 50, says in a post on Instagram that she was diagnosed with stage 1 triple positive breast cancer on Dec. 1, 2023. The diagnosis came after a routine mammogram, she says.
“Back in October 2023 I posted a photo of myself on Instagram preparing for my routine mammogram with a joking reminder to ‘take care of your ticking time bags’ a la Michael Scott,” Fischer writes. Scott was the clueless and often crass branch manager on “The Office,” played by Steve Carell.
Fischer says the mammogram’s results were inconclusive, so her doctor ordered an ultrasound, which led to a biopsy and the discovery of the cancer.
Although triple positive breast cancer is aggressive, it’s also highly treatable, Fischer writes. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment, she says, causing her to lose her hair.
“Luckily my cancer was caught early and it hadn’t spread into my lymph nodes or throughout the rest of my body,” Fischer writes. Her chemotherapy and radiation treatments are complete and she’s cancer free, but she’s still being treated with infusions of Herceptin and Tamoxifen, she says.
“I’m happy to say I’m feeling great,” she writes.
But she is encouraging women to remain vigilant when it comes to breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“I’m making this announcement for a few reasons. One, I’m ready to ditch the wigs. Two, to implore you to get your annual mammograms,” she says. “I’m serious, call your doctor right now. My tumor was so small it could not be felt on a physical exam. If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread.”
While Fischer has had roles in several TV shows and movies, she’s best known for her nine seasons on “The Office,” which ended in 2013 but is still shown often in syndication.
